Make a Difference This Summer
Three ways you can help Superbook share the Gospel with more children
When the project team first met Erica*, she was living in an orphanage.
The volunteers visited the children regularly, leading creative activities, cooking workshops and simply spending time together. Among them was a quiet, guarded girl whose eyes reflected years of hurt and distrust.
That first meeting became the beginning of a relationship that would continue for years.
Erica, now 18, grew up with two sisters. During her childhood, she experienced one painful loss after another. Her grandparents, who had played an important role in her life, passed away. Her parents separated, and later her father, whom she loved deeply despite his struggle with alcohol addiction, also died.
When Erica was just 13 years old, she lost her mother as well.
After her mother’s death, Erica and her sisters remained with their stepfather. During this time, Erica experienced fear, humiliation and cruel treatment. Eventually, social services intervened and removed the children from the home. She was first placed in residential care, where she experienced bullying, and later moved to an orphanage.
Although her circumstances became safer, the pain she carried remained.
“I hate everyone,” she would often say.
Those words reflected years of grief, fear and broken trust.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
After finishing Year 9, Erica enrolled at a vocational college and joined the Shelter for Girls—a project supported by Operation Blessing and run by the same local ministry team that had first met her while she was living in the orphanage.
For Erica, the Shelter for Girls became much more than a place to live.
Amid the uncertainty of life in wartime Ukraine, the Shelter for Girls became a place of hope, where Erica found the care, guidance and encouragement she needed as she prepared for independent life.
A family of mentors lives alongside the young women, helping them prepare for independent life. Together they learn practical skills such as cooking, managing a home, budgeting, building healthy relationships and taking responsibility for work and study. They also pray together, study God’s Word and encourage one another in their faith.
Healing did not happen overnight.
But through genuine care, faithful mentoring and God’s love shown through the people around her, Erica gradually began to change.
Step by step, she learnt to trust again, take responsibility for her future and believe that her life had purpose.
A year after joining the Shelter for Girls, Erica made the decision to follow Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour. Later, she publicly declared her faith through baptism.
Today, she is completing her training as a chef and undertaking a work placement at a local restaurant, where she is recognised for her responsibility and strong work ethic.
She is also actively involved in the youth ministry of her local church, serves in the church café and hopes to continue growing both personally and professionally.
Looking back, Erica says:
“Someone once asked me what I wanted from life. For a long time, I didn’t know the answer. But when I came to know God, I realised that the path He prepared for me is exactly where I want to be.”
*Name changed to protect the identity of the individual.
This story was made possible by the support of global CBN Partners. Together, we can bring that same hope to individuals right here in the UK, Europe, Eurasia and Australasia.
We warmly invite you to join us in partnership, helping more young people like Erica discover God’s love, grow in confidence and embrace the future with hope.
